Quill of the Hill

Page 4 December 2002

Quill of the Hill

Roots n' Shoots n' Critters

By Kathy Hinkle

Remember when the trees still had leaves? We started November with a wonderful Foliage Tour. From the time the bus left the home - in fact before leaving the grounds because one of the Henneke's' Burning Bushes was peaking around the corner of their cottage -- there was color everywhere. The hills on either side of the Tisdale Parkway (the stretch of highway formerly known as the Osage Expressway) were glorious! Other highlights were the views on Turkey Mountain, around Swan Lake, and the Utica Square area. Residents making the trip included Maci Dillingham, Sallie Engelson, Patty Flint, Drucilla Grace, Pat Jones, Betty Lawson, Bill Martin, and Nancy Susman.

We may have a new bird dropping in to spend some time at St. Simeon's and even though he can't fly he will have no trouble reaching any of our feeders. As a tribute to the Saint Simeon's staff, resident Louise Keplinger and daughter, Karen Mildren, are sponsoring one of the six-foot penguins you've been reading about and perhaps even seeing around town. We will decorate this one ourselves (any ideas?) and can enjoy his/her whimsical looks until the time they auction them off to raise money for the Zoo.

A few weeks ago we had an energetic group of about 30 young people from Holland Hall. They spent a good part of a day here weeding, mulching, cleaning out flowerbeds, moving plants in from outside, and cleaning off the building, windows, and sidewalks. This helped them fulfill some of their required service hours and made lots of things look better for all of us. Thank goodness for volunteers everywhere!

You all know the hen now lives all alone in the Gazebo Courtyard. We're hoping that when spring comes we can provide her some company. However, it won't be what Doc (Don) Washington has suggested. He figured that with the recent election to outlaw CockFights, "There are probably quite a few Roosters out there needing a home. Maybe some owners would even pay us to take some off their hands. And think of the entertainment value. Never a dull moment around here!" We're always opened to suggestions for improvements but we can't take this one seriously.

Jack Miller (Lee Miller's husband) has donated two Tropical Hibiscus that spent a very pleasant summer at his house. They arrived with plenty of buds but will probably lose most of them, along with a lot of leaves - typical of almost any plant brought inside for the winter. One is in the Memory Center

Hearth Room - also the winter home of our Bird of Paradise -- and the other is by the windows in the Ice Cream Parlor.

Another family member, Jack Ward (Barbara Ward's husband), has separated some of his Irises and donated sacks of large Iris bulbs. We can look forward to seeing them bloom for us in the spring in the perennial bed at the first circle drive. And the family of Ozzie and Bill Landrum donated the most beautiful Peace Lily I've ever seen from Bill's funeral. It now has a place of honor on the table in the center of the Memory Center Hearth Room.

Did you hear about our infestation of LadyBugs? Who knows where they came from but the ceiling, walls and window by the entrance to the Ice Cream Parlor suddenly were "alive" with them. Who can help but feel kindly toward LadyBugs. Heck, some people pay money to "seed" their garden with them. We got ours for free!

Did you read about or watch on television the dedication of our state Capitol's new dome? I have been fortunate enough to be in Oklahoma City recently and saw it from the outside and it is magnificent. But what I really want to do is see it from the inside (it is lit from the inside and outside). And what does this have to do with a "gardening column"? The state wildflower, the Gaillardia, inspired the color scheme for the dome's interior. As described in the Tulsa World, "The Gaillardia appears draped over the inner dome with a deep red-brown center, sunset red petal tones in the encircling coffers and finally yellow tips which are depicted by gold-leafed recessed panels. It sits on a field of green representing the stems of the flowers set in Oklahoma prairie landscapes. A lower drum of blue symbolizing the vibrant Oklahoma sky is accented with band of gold punctuated by darker reds, blues and greens depicting Indian beadery." So, who else wants to go see it!